Railroad-switch.



M. DERRECHQ RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. 1916.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- M. DERRECH.

- RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. F916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- 0 O a I 2 M M- 14 v I I MICHAEL DERRECH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

RAILROAD-SKETCH.

Application filed September 2; 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL DERRECI-L a subject of the Emperor of Austria, and a resident of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahcga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad- Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in switch throwing devices as applied to railway track construction, and has as its principal object the provision of means whereby an advancing train may automatically move a switch point so as to shift the train from one track to a branch if desired.

A further obj ect is to pro ide means which automatically hold the switch points in their adjusted position against accidental displacement.

These and other objects, such as simplicity of construction and operation, are attained by the novel design, construction and com bination of parts hereafter described and shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a material part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view showing a section of railroad track and indicating the application of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a locomotive having the operative mechanism attached at its front end, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a railway track showing the location of the switch points after they have been moved.

It is a well known fact that the majority of accidents occurring on railways are caused by the misplacement of switches and par ticularly this is when the operation of the switches is dependent upon the fallability of attendants.

In order to overcome such source of danger the automatically operating device herein indicated is provided.

Pivotall y secured to the ties of the road bed are a pair of links 10 and 11, arranged respectively adjacent to the inner track and branch rails, the links connecting with bellcrank levers 12 and 13 pivoted at 14 or 15 upon other ties or sleepers, the other end of the bell-crank levers engaging with bars 16 and 17, which extend past the switch point, the front end of the bars engaging with still other bell-crank levers l8 and 19, piv- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8,1918

Serial No. 118,222.

oted at 20 and 21 and having their front ends engaged with other links 22 and 23, pivoted in ties in advance of the switch point.

Engaged with the bars 16 and 17, closely adjacent to the switch points, is a T shaped element 25 the oppositely extending ends of which are pivoted to the bars while the front extending portion 26 is pivoted to a cross bar 28 pivoted at its end to the movable points 30 and 31 of the switch. An extension 33 of the cross bar 28 projects laterally outward beyond one of the running rails and has pivotally engaged with it a lever 35 fulcrumed on the pivot 86 and formed with an angular V shaped point 34 at its extreme front end, the point and main portion of the element 3435 being raised to a height substantially coincident with the top of the running rails.

From the foregoin description and drawings it will be obvious that if the lever be moved upon the fulcrum 36 acorrespondin movement must ensue with respect to the switch points 30 and 31, so that they will be moved from one of the main track rails to the other thereby diverting the train to the through or branch track as may be desired.

In order to accomplish the movement of the switch lever, a pair of pendant levers 40 are pivoted at 41 to a bracket 42 extending rigidly in advance of the locomotive the other ends 48 of the lovers being pivotally engaged with links 44 having connections 45 with operative hanc les 46 located within the cab of the locomotive.

Thus it is possible for the engineer by operating the handles 46 to extend the levers 4O downward in such. manner as to intersect and engage with the lever 34-35 upon either side, thereby actuating the switch point or if it is desired to use the track in a condition in which the switch is at that time set the levers 40 m av be turned upward into the position shown by the dotted lines permitting the locomotive to pass without making contact with the switch lever 34-35.

Havin thus described my inventiomwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a railway track switch, the combination with a pair of running rails, a branch track leading therefrom, switch tongues engaged with said running and branch rails,

connections between said switch tongues, a engaged with said T shaped element, and T shaped element pivotally engaged with means carriedon a locomotive contactable said connections, bars pivotally engaged with With said raised lever whereby it may be 10 said T shaped element, pairs of bell-crank thrown in either direction.

5 levers engaged with the ends of said bars In testimony whereof I have signed my whereby they may be held in an adjusted name to this specification. position, a-raised lever having its one end MICHAEL DERRECH.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedior five 'cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. V 

